God Didn't Invent the Culture—He Repurposed It: How the Bible Transforms Ancient Norms- Part 1

God Didn't Invent the Culture—He Repurposed It: How the Bible Transforms Ancient Norms- Part 1 

Many people read the Bible and assume that everything in it reflects God’s perfect will. But what if much of what we find in Scripture is actually God working within the limitations of ancient cultures, reshaping their norms to teach something deeper—holiness, justice, and relationship?

The ancient Near East (ANE), where the Bible was born, was filled with customs that modern readers would find strange—or even offensive. But instead of scrapping these customs completely, God often used familiar forms and repurposed them, slowly guiding humanity toward something better.

God Spoke in Their Cultural Language

Just as a missionary today would translate their message into the local dialect, God translated His holiness into the cultural symbols people already understood. Sacrifices? Common in the ANE. But God used them not to satisfy His own hunger or ego like pagan gods, but to show the seriousness of sin and the cost of reconciliation.

Purity laws? Every ancient culture had them. But Israel’s laws pointed to a bigger theme: being set apart, not just physically, but spiritually.

 From Power to Justice

In many ANE cultures, power and violence were everything. Kings were treated like gods, and slaves were expendable. But in Israel's law, even kings were held accountable, and slaves were to be treated with dignity (Exodus 21, Deuteronomy 15).

God didn’t immediately abolish slavery, but He planted seeds:

Slaves were given rest (Ex. 20:10)

Runaway slaves were not to be returned (Deut. 23:15–16)

All people were made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27)

This was radical justice compared to surrounding nations.

Marriage, Divorce, and Polygamy

God never designed people to have multiple wives or throw away their spouses casually. But polygamy and divorce were part of ANE reality. So God gave regulations to protect the vulnerable:

Women couldn’t just be tossed out (Deut. 24)

Inheritance rights were preserved (Num. 27)

Divorce was permitted only because of hard hearts (Matt. 19:8)

God used these norms as a way to push Israel toward covenant faithfulness in all relationships.

The Long Trajectory: From Shadow to Substance

These accommodations weren’t the final destination—they were a means to a deeper end.

As time went on, the prophets began to critique empty ritual (Isa. 1:11–17), and Jesus brought the transformation full circle: from external law to internal change.

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” – Hosea 6:6

“The law was our guardian until Christ came.” – Galatians 3:24

Conclusion

God Is a redeemer, not a dictator. God didn’t drop a list of divine rules on a stone tablet and call it a day. He entered into real, messy human culture and redeemed it from the inside out. By taking what people already understood—sacrifices, purity, authority, relationships—and infusing those systems with divine values, God transformed culture rather than erasing it. That means when we read the Bible, we don’t just see what was. We begin to see God’s trajectory—always moving us toward love, justice, and relational wholeness.